Dryer unit for yarn slashers



April 19, 196() Filed Jan. 25, 1956 G. L` BALL DRYER UNIT FOR YARNSLASHERS 3 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR. GAM/[5 .LA/M41? LL ATTORNEY April19, 1960 G. BALL 2,932,903

DRYER UNIT RoR YARN sLAsRRRs Filed Jan. 25, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INI/ENTOR.

GAM/5 AM/4P LL ATTOPNE Y April 19, 1960 G. l.. BALL 2,932,903:

' DRYER UNIT F OR YARN SLASHERS Filed Jan. 25. 1956 Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 3IN VEN TOR.

A TTOR/VE Y 2,932,903 Patented Apr. 19, 1960 DRYER UNIT FOR YARNSLASHERS Gaines Lamar Ball, West Point, Ga., assignor to Batson- Coni:Company, West Point, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application January25, 1956, Serial No. 561,383 4 Ciaims. (Cl. 34-159) This inventionrelates to a dryer unit 'for yarn slashers, and is particularlyconcerned with a hot air dryer in which the moist size bearing yarn issubjected to contact with moving air at an elevated temperature whichdries the yarn after its passage through the sizing unit of the Slasher.

Slasher units in which starch, glue or like sizing material is appliedto yarn for its protection during the weaving operations haveconventionally been provided with dryer units by which the moisture ofthe sizing material is removed to deliver a dry sized yarn. Such dryerunits have frequently been of the hot air variety in which the yarn ismoved usually through a tortuous path and during which movement it issubjected to blasts of hot air. Difficulties have an'sen in the use ofsuch apparatus in that the air is usually directed against the yarnperpendicularly or at anV angle and in such movement there isconsiderable turbulence leading to breakage and entanglement of the yarnthreads. Such impingement of the hot air also impedes the progress ofthe yarn requiring a high tension and stretch of the yarn in its travelthrough the dryer and such stretch and tension is undesirable. It hasalso been noted that in hot air dryers heretofore used for the presentpurpose difficulties have arisen with respect to maintenance of theuniform drying operation throughout the relatively broad width of thesheet of yarn passing through the dryer. Additionally, the dryersheretofore provided for the present purpose have frequently been ofrelatively low thermal eiciency and hence the drying operation has beenequivalently high in cost.

It is, therefore, among the primary objects of the present invention toprovide a novel and improved hot air dryer for slashers which is simplein construction, ellicient in operation and which provides for a minimumof air turbulence and a uniform drying of the yarn passing therethrough.

A further and more specific object of the present invention is toprovide a dryer of the type referred to in which the passage of air isdirected against the yarn in the direction of yarn travel and thusminimizes agitation and tangling of the yarn.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a Slasher hot airdrying unit in which a high thermal eiiiciency is maintained by virtueof the recirculation of at least a portion of the heated air whichcontacts the yarn for the evaporation of the sizing material thereon.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a dryer soconstructed and arranged as to minimize the tension required for movingthe yarn through the dryer and hence relieves the yarn of undue stretchin such passage.

The objects of the present invention also include that of providing asingle, simple enclosure yfor the tortuous path of the yarn and theco-extensive path of the heating medium which provides minimum openvents `by which the flow of air would be discharged causing turbulenceand ineliciency as well as inhibiting uniform drying operations.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill be apparent from a consideration of the following specificationtaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of one preferred form of the present dryerwith the side wall of the enclosure broken away.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the dryer of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the 4internal structure of the presentdryer.

In general terms, that form of the invention which is here presented byway of example may be characterized as including a tortuous returnarrangement of air ducts to which air is supplied through power meansand which include heating elements to elevate the temperature of the airsupplied. Throughout the ducts yarn supporting and directing rollers areprovided by which yarn may be fed through the machine centrally of theducts and in the direction of the air travel and hence there is noperpendicular or angular impingement of the air against the `yarn in itstravel, thus turbulence is minimized and resistance of the yarn movementis likewise minimized so as to avoid unnecessary tension and stretch. Animportant feature of the invention is the provision of air directingvanes at the points where the ducts are angularly disposed so as topreclude turbulence and insure uniform straight movement of the air inthe direction of the yarn travel. It is also an important feature of thepresent invention to provide `for the return circulation of at least apart of the air supply to the blowers and thus maintain a high thermalefficiency whereby the cost of operation is minimized.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be understood thatthe structure of the present form of the invention is preferably mountedwithin a general rectangular housing indicated by the numeral iti inFig. 1, the housing being broken away to more appropriately disclose theinternal mechanism of the device. The housing 10 preferably of sheetmaterial is generally imperforate in order to preclude undue turbulenceor lossof Y the heated drying air but is provided at the entrance rearwall with an elongate slot like aperture lll for the reception of thesheet of yarn from the usual size box of the Slasher, the entrance sheetbeing indicated by the numeral 12. On the opposite wall of the housing16 a similar slot 13 is provided from which the dry sheet of yarnindicated at 14 is delivered at the front delivery side of the housing.The front side at the top and bottom is also provided with louvered airadmission top and bottom openings 15 and 16, respectively, by which airis admitted for delivery by the upper and lower blowers `17 and18respectively to top andbottom ducts 19 and 20, respectively. As willbe hereinafter pointed out, air from the internal ducts is also admittedto the fans through upper and lower louvered openings 21 and 22 wherebythe air is re-circulated in order to improve the thermal efficiency ofthe apparatus. The lower duct 2d leading from the blower 1S extends thefull length of the heater land is provided at 23 with heat exchangetubing by which the air delivered from the blower 1S is elevated intemperature. The duct 2u opens at 24 to deliver the heated air to thecentral yarn admission duct 25 communicating with the opening 11 andextending forwardly to a forward return baffle 26.

An important feature of the present invention is the provision at thepoints of air turning of angularly directed vanes by which the air isdirected in the desired direction of travel, thus to minimize danger ofturbulence `as the air passes through the device. Thus at the deliverystrands thereof.

end of the duct 20 two sets of angularly disposed vanes 27 and '28 areprovided, the vanes Z7 direct the air from the duct 20 vertically upwardtowards the central duct 25 while the .vanes 28 direct the air forwardlyin the duct 25 and hence in the direction of travel of the yarn ilight3i) which is moving from theV entering slot 11 toward the discharge slot13. in a similar manner, the upper duct l? receiving air from the blower17 has a downwardly directed right angular extension 31 with vanes 32assisting in the direction of the air in its passage fat the rightangular corner to avoid turbulence at that point.

In the vertical passage 3i heat exchange tubing 33 is provided wherebythe air is raised to the desired ternperature for delivery through theguide vanes 34 disposed in opposed 4fashion to the vanes 28 thereby theair from the upper blower i7 is delivered to the lower duct 25 and isdirected Vin the direction of travel of the yarn in such duct.

At the forward end of the duct 25, upwardly directing guiding vanes 36are mounted on either side of the end roller 37. The vanes 36 direct themoving air vertically upward from the duct 25 to a lower intermediateduct 57, the passage of air being parallel with ba-le 26. At

the entrance end of the duct 57 angularly arranged vanes 38 are providedas well as a yarn roller 39 so that the yarn flight 3i) afterpassageover the rollers 37 and 39 will be rearwardly directed throughthe duct 57 in a flight indicated by the'numeral 40, the air beingdirected from its vertical path at the baffle 26 rearwardly in the duct57 by the vanes 33, thus maintainingthe uni-directional flow of yarn andair in the duct 57.

In similar fashion, the end of the `duct 57 is confronted by a verticalbaille 41 which is a counterpart of the vertical batlle 26. At theterminal end of the duct 57, vanes 42 and i3 are provided in the mannerof vanes 36 and 3S to direct the air flow iirst upwardly then forwardlyin the upper intermediate duct 44. Rollers `45 and 46 are provided inthe manner of the rollers 37 and 39 to guide the yarn first verticallyupward between ducts 37 and 44 and then forwardly in a liight 47 throughthe upper intermediate duct 44. Adjacent the forward end of the duct 44exhaust ports Sil are provided on either side of the flight 47 of theyarn whereby a fraction of the drying air may be discharged, it beingunderstood that the admission of air through the ports 15 and .16 to theblowers will be so regulated as to compensate for the fraction of airdischarged through the ports Sti. Also at the forward end of the Iduct44, there is provided the vent 2l leading to the fan 17 by which some ofthe circulated air is returned for recirculation through the ducts ofthe system.

From the upper intermediate duct dri, the air is directed by vanes ldownwardly in a vertical discharge duct 52, the yarn passing over aroller 53 to move in the direction of travel of `the air in the duct 52.Near the bottom of the duct 52, the yarn discharge slot 13 is formedadjacent which a yarn roller 54 is provided by which the downwardlyiiight 55 of yarn in the duct 52 is directed outwardly to the dischargeflight 1d. lt will also be notegd that at the lower end of the duct 52the vent 22 for the lower lower 17 is provided so as to cause arecirculation. Thus, part of the air passing downwardly in the duct 52is admitted to the fan A17 for recirculation and hence a minimum of airis exhausted with the yarn through the discharge slot 13.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that in the present invention, meansare provided for directing the air in straight rectilinear paths,co-extensive with the travel of the yarn and hence there is a minimum ofperpendicular and angular impingement of the air against the yarn whichwould produce agitation and entangling of the It will also be noted thatthe invention provides for a recirculation of a portion of the air andhence for a high thermal efciency for the apparatus. It will further benoted that since the air travel is in the di- 4 i rection of the yarntravel the yarn is not retarded by adverse air ilow and hence thetension required for carrying the yarn through the tortuous passagesformed by the ducts is minimized and und'ue stretch is not applied.

In the operation of the device it is deemed preferable to provide for a'speed of air travel in excess of the speed of yarn travel. It will ofcourse be understood that the invention is not limited nor restricted tothe specic duct arrangement here shown or to the mounting and locationof the air directing vanes and/ or the heating coils. Hence 'in thepractice of the invention, numerous changes, modiiications and the fulluse of equivalents may be resorted to without departure from the spiritor scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

l claim:

l. A. yarn dryer including a housing, a central duct, top and bottom airinlet ducts in said housing at the top and bottom thereof respectivelyfor directing air tothe vcentral reverse air ow duct, said central ductbeing above and adjacent to said bottom inlet duct, upper and lowerintermediateair liow ducts adjacent each other and located between andcontiguous with the upper inlet duct and the central duct for conductingair from said central duct, means for passing yarn through said central,and intermediate ducts in the direction of travel of saidair, means'insaid inlet ducts for heating air owing therethrough before deliverythereof to said central duct together Vwith blowers Vfor forcing theflow of air through said ducts, and means for recirculatingair throughsaid central and intermediate ducts, said last mentioned means includinga vertical duct connecting the upper inlet duct with the central duct.

2. A yarn dryer including a housing, a central duct, top and bottom airinlet ducts and said housing at the top and bottom thereof respectivelyfor directing air to the central reverse air iiow duct, said centralduct being above and adjacent to said bottom inlet duct, upper and lowerintermediate air ow ducts adjacent each other and located between andcontiguous with the upper inlet duct and the central duct for conductingair from said central duct, means for passing yarn through said centraland intermediate ducts in the direction of travel of said lair, means insaid inlet ducts for heating airowing delivering heated air from saidinlet ducts to said lower horizontal duct, a lower intermediate duct,adjacent to :and parallel with said lower horizontal ductsinterconnecting means for delivering heated air from said lowerhorizontal duct to said lower intermediate duct, an upper intermediateduct adjacent to and parallel with said lower intermediate duct,interconnecting means for delivering air from said lower intermediateduct to said upper intermediate duct, meansV including aninterconnecting vertical duct for recirculating air from said upperintermediate duct to said air inlet ducts at the top and bottomr of saidhousing, and means for passing yarn through the lower horizontal and theupper and lower intermediate ducts.

4. A yarn dryer including a housing, upper and lower air inlet ducts atthe top and bottom of said housing,'a lower horizontal duct adjacent toand parallel with said air inlet duct at the bottom of said housing,interconnecting means for delivering heated air from said inlet ducts tosaid lower horizontal duct, a lower intermediate duct adajcent to andparallel with said lower intermediate aeeaeoe duct, interconnectingmeans for delivering heated air from said lower horizontal duet to saidlower intermediate duct, an upper intermediate duct adjacent to andparallel with said lower intermediate duct, interconnecting means fordelivering air from said lower intermediate duct to said upperintermediate duct, means including an interconnecting vertical duct forrecirculating air from said upper intermediate duct to said upper andlower air inlet duct, means for feeding yarn through said lowerintermediate duct and then through said upper intermediate duct in thedirection of travel of said air, and means for passing yarn through thelower horizontal and the upper and lower intermediate ducts.

leterenees Cited in the le of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS BeckerApr. 4,

Bratkowski Aug. 30,

Wheller Oct. 6,

Anderson Dec. 1,

Morrill Dec. 4,

FUREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 17,

Germany Jan. 29,

